Moon Child
by Alund of the Prophecy
Summary: The final story in the Masashi & Amy series, this focuses more on the Sailor Scout aspect of Amy's life. When the Scouts discover that their old enemy the Negaverse has been revived, they head out to finish it off again, and Masashi finds himself along f


Sailor Moon  
  
Moon Child  
  
(The fourth and final Masashi & Amy story.)  
  
By: Alund of the Prophecy  
  
I encourage and readily accept any feedback the reader may have!  
  
Description: The final story in the Masashi & Amy series, this focuses more on the Sailor Scout aspect of Amy's life. When the Scouts discover that their old enemy the Negaverse has been revived, they head out to finish it off again, and Masashi finds himself along for the trip.  
  
Amy was falling. She had been thrown over the side of a building and was now screaming and flailing her limbs about. Madly, I jumped after her, my leg tied to a rope attached to the building's top. I flew down and past her, and as I passed by I tried to catch her, but she kept slipping away. The building was endless. I tried my hardest to reach out my hand, but some freak current of air always blew her away. The ground was still many stories below. I tried endlessly to swing over to her and catch her, but my rope was running short. I had had plenty of time to try and catch her. Finally, I got a grip on her hand. She smiled up at me and we continued to fall, but soon my rope would run out. Then the rope snapped taut, and I lost my grip on Amy's hand. Amy hurtled helplessly away from me into the distance, an expression of innocent shock on her face...  
  
I started into wakefulness. My eyes instantly adjusted to the pitch darkness of my room. I had been having a nightmare again. Cold sweat had beaded up on my forehead. I went to move an arm to wipe it away, but then blissful reassurance flooded my senses as my arm dislodged from underneath a warm body lying across my chest. It was Amy. Memories flooded back to me as if the last few hours had occurred years ago. Of course, Amy had been over at my house for a usual study session, and we had spent the evening studying for our mid-term final exams. The winter night had been fierce, and a heavy blizzard had immobilized the roadways as we studied. Amy's parents had called my house to let her know that they couldn't get her home tonight, that she'd have to stay over and let her parents pick her up the following day. Luckily, it was the weekend the next day, so she wouldn't miss any school. I had set her bed up on the couch earlier that night as I had so long ago that night when the power went out, and she had gone to bed at the same time I had.  
  
But later that night, she had silently crept upstairs after my parents had gone to sleep, and had softly knocked at my door. I had let her in and we had talked for a time in hushed tones, but then I had told her I was tired. She had said she was, too, but when I had turned to let her back downstairs she had said she didn't want to leave. I at first had not understood what she had meant, but when she had climbed into bed with me my heart had quickened its pace a hundred fold. We had passed away the hours into the early morning just lying there in my bed, our arms wrapped snugly about each other's bodies. Lust would have been totally inappropriate then. We just wanted to spend the night together as we had so long ago in front of the fire, and we did. I had gradually dozed off into my nightmare, lured into it by her regular breathing and her soft hair caressing my cheek.  
  
Now I had awakened. I had startled her, but after our experiences together she had developed empathy for me, and now she gently soothed me and stroked my cheek with the back of her hand.  
  
"What's the matter?" she intoned gently.  
  
"I had a nightmare," I whispered. "It was about you. You were going to die."  
  
"That's happened already, remember?" she said jokingly. I chuckled gently. She held me a little tighter and shifted her head a little, letting out a gentle sigh as she did. I loved the sound. I held her tighter in response. "Just relax, Masashi," she said. "I'm right here, and always will be."  
  
Shortly after finishing her sentence, she began to sing. Very quiet, melodious, wordless tones filled my ears. I glanced down at her face. Her eyes were closed as if in sleep, her mouth almost imperceptibly open as she filled the room with the gentle, beautiful sound of her voice. The mere simplicity of the melody, coupled with the priceless image of her face and the sensation of her breath on my skin through the fabric of my nightshirt, broke my fear into infinitesimally small dust specks. At the same time, her song brought out emotions I had never experienced before. My eyes filled with tears and a tight knot formed in my throat. I began to silently cry. A single tear rolled down my cheek and onto hers. She raised her head a little, and ceased her singing.  
  
"What's the matter?" she asked, concerned.  
  
"So beautiful...so beautiful..." I could only whisper in choked breaths.  
  
She closed her eyes again and held me even tighter, beginning her singing anew. The warmth from her body and soul comforted me, and I cried myself to sleep.  
  
***  
  
When I awoke the following morning, Amy was gone. I groggily walked downstairs in my pajamas and found my mother sitting at the kitchen table, doing the bills. I asked her where Amy was, after saying "Good Morning" of course, and she replied that Amy had gone home already. I glanced over at the couch. Her bed had been slept in. I guess she had gotten out of my bed when she was sure I was asleep, and crept downstairs into her own bed to sleep for the rest of the night, so my parents wouldn't find us in the same bed when morning came. Smart thinking. But hey, that was why Amy was known as the "Super Nerd" at school.  
  
Sometime the next week, Amy, Lita, Mina, Serena, Raye, Darien, and I got together for a usual study session in Amy's apartment. Usually, I would have asked Chuck or Pete to come along, but for some reason, today I asked them all, and none of them could make it. That was rare. Usually, at least one of them could make it. Well, life deals you lemons sometimes.  
  
I guess it was better that only I could make it, though, in the long run. Now that I had seen the Sailor Scouts in action, as well as Darien in his fighting element, it made me feel more accepted in the group. Ever since the incident with Galaxia, though, there had been no reason for the girls to become the Sailor Scouts anymore. It seemed that they had cleansed the world of evil such as hers. At least, that's how it seemed.  
  
I had leaned over Amy's shoulder for help on a math problem, when Serena suddenly jumped. We all looked up at her. She went into her backpack and pulled out a...wand, I guess. It was a short, pink stick with a golden crescent-shaped appendage on its end. Seated in the crux of the crescent was a large, clear crystal of some sort. Beneath the crescent on the handle of the wand sat a red light, which was currently flashing. I had never seen this wand before, but as my mind puzzled over its meaning, it came up with a single, feasible explanation: it had to do with the Sailor Scouts.  
  
"What's wrong?" Mina asked Serena.  
  
"The Crescent Moon Wand is reacting," Serena replied. "There's some sort of evil energy close by."  
  
"I'll check it out," Amy said. With that, she pulled out a small device about the size of a Game Boy, except it was flatter and more complex.  
  
As she pressed buttons on the little device, I asked jokingly, "Is that your Palm Pilot?"  
  
"You could say that," Amy replied. Suddenly, her computer made a beeping noise and Amy's eyebrows arched. "This is strange," she said. "There's no evil energy anywhere on Earth, aside from the usual stuff."  
  
"Usual stuff?" I asked.  
  
"Crime," Lita answered.  
  
"Oh," I said.  
  
"Then why would the Wand be reacting?" Serena asked everyone.  
  
"Maybe there's a source of evil energy far away, yet it's so strong that the Wand is picking it up all the way over here," Raye suggested.  
  
"That could be," Serena said, looking at the wand. "Amy, see if you can find the source of the energy."  
  
"Right," Amy said, and began manipulating controls again. As she did, I just kept on hoping that whatever it was creating the energy would just blow up or something so that Amy and her friends wouldn't have to go fight it. Something powerful enough to reach Earth with its energy from somewhere far off would be over a hundred times more powerful than Galaxia had been. It meant that the Scouts wouldn't have a chance. It meant that Amy would die, and I wouldn't be there to save her this time. And even if I would be, what were the odds that the same miracle could happen again?  
  
"I've got it," Amy announced. "It's...that's strange."  
  
"What?" the other girls asked in unison.  
  
"It's coming from the moon," Amy replied.  
  
Dead silence filled the room.  
  
"Where?" Raye asked.  
  
"The dark side," Amy said. "Somewhere. I can't pinpoint it. There's so much dark energy that it's hard to find the exact center."  
  
"Then we've only got one choice," Serena said with determination. "We've got to go find it and destroy it."  
  
I sank into the darkest of despair. She had just committed them all to die. I sank back in my chair, my eyes unfocused and staring into space. Amy noticed my sudden change in demeanor and turned to me, concern in her eyes.  
  
"What's the matter, Masashi?" she asked.  
  
"You're going to die," I said. "You all are. There's no way you could fight such an immense force of evil. Galaxia nearly killed you all, and this energy is a hundred times stronger than her."  
  
Serena regarded me sternly. "We can do it," she said. "And we will."  
  
I was about to respond, when the room filled with a burst of...not light, but darkness. It was as if darkness acted as light and "flashed" into the room, blinding us all. When the darkness vanished, a new person had joined us.  
  
He was standing on the table, and his head nearly punctured the ceiling because he stood so tall. He wore a gray uniform, resembling that of a military officer, with the front of the coat halfway open. From his shoulders hung a huge, billowing gray cape. His hair was long and white, and his skin was a sickly grayish-blue color. The girls all cringed away from him as soon as they knew he was there.  
  
"No!" Serena cried. "It can't be!"  
  
"It's..." Lita stammered. "Malachite!"  
  
"It has to be an illusion," Raye said. "A ghost."  
  
Upon the completion of her sentence, the man they called Malachite raised his hand and pointed it at Darien. Shortly after, black waves of energy radiated from his hand and slammed into Darien. Darien gave a blood-curdling cry and crumpled to the floor, falling out of his chair. He lay unconscious on the ground.  
  
"If I am a ghost," Malachite spoke. "Then how could I do that?"  
  
"But you're dead," Mina cried. "I saw you vaporize."  
  
"That is true," Malachite replied, a fiendish grin on his face. "But it only takes a small amount of black energy to revive the Negaverse and its disciples."  
  
Negaverse? Black energy? What on Earth was he talking about? I remained quiet, just trying to become invisible. I didn't want to experience the pain Darien had just suffered.  
  
"Do you mean that the Negaverse has been revived?" Serena asked timidly. "That would mean that Queen Beryl is alive again, too."  
  
"Correct," Malachite said haughtily. "The power of the Black Crystal was just strong enough to bring us all back. And now, to begin her reign anew, Queen Beryl wants Prince Darien back by her side."  
  
"No! You won't take Darien again!" Serena cried. She leapt at Malachite, who merely shoved her away harshly. She crashed to the floor, bruised a little. I ran over to help her up. She looked up at me gratefully, with pain in her eyes.  
  
"I'm afraid you have no choice," Malachite said. "Queen Beryl will not make the same mistake that she did last time. Her new empire will begin as soon as the Black Crystal has absorbed all of Prince Darien's memories and emotions. Now, farewell, Sailor Scouts!" With that, the darkness flashed into the room again. When it again subsided, both Malachite and Darien were gone.  
  
I helped Serena all the way up. She thanked me and turned to the rest of the Sailor Scouts. They all stood up, returning her gaze.  
  
"We all know what we have to do," Serena said.  
  
"The universe can't allow another Negaverse to exist," Amy said.  
  
"We're going to wipe away this 'Black Crystal' and restore peace to the universe," Mina said.  
  
"We'll waste Queen Beryl and her minions, and make the universe a better place for all life," Raye affirmed.  
  
"Let's do it!" Lita cried.  
  
I was overloaded with puzzlement. I could hardly tell what was going on. I figured it out later that the Negaverse was an old enemy of the Sailor Scouts. Obviously, this "Black Crystal" had gathered up enough energy to revive the Negaverse and all of its servants, as a last-ditch effort to conquer the universe. But, could the Sailor Scouts face the same enemies again, and survive? I asked them this.  
  
"We wasted them once," Serena replied. "We can waste them again."  
  
I certainly hoped so. After Serena stopped speaking, all five girls produced wands from their pockets and raised them into the air. After a chorus of indiscernible words, they all turned white, as I had seen Amy do that night when she had gone to face Galaxia. I watched in awe as their Sailor Scout costumes appeared on their bodies, complete with golden tiaras and colored bows. When their transformation was complete, Amy walked over to me.  
  
"Masashi," she began. "We're about to go on a journey far more dangerous than you could dream of. I can't let you come with us. You might get yourself killed."  
  
"So would you," I replied.  
  
"But at least I would have a chance," Amy countered. "You wouldn't. That's why you can't come."  
  
"And leave you to die?!" I cried.  
  
"No," Amy said, her voice even. "We'll beat the Negaverse and we will come back. You can rest assured at that."  
  
"But I don't want you to go," I said. "Remember the last time you told me to stay behind? If I hadn't come along, you wouldn't be standing here now."  
  
Amy paused. She was fighting a losing battle with herself in her mind. She looked back at me. "Please, Masashi," she pleaded. "Don't argue. Stay here."  
  
I thought. Maybe she was right. "Okay," I said finally.  
  
"I'll be back before bedtime," Amy said as she walked back to the other girls, trying to cheer me up. I didn't even look up at her.  
  
When she rejoined the group, they all joined hands and cried, "Sailor Teleport Power!"  
  
A brilliant flash of light filled the room. I shielded my eyes with the back of my hands and watched from between the cracks of my fingers as the silhouettes of the Scouts began to vanish into thin air. Amy was on her way. But for some reason, the part of me that still didn't want her to leave without me suddenly took over my mind and made me leap into the center of the bright light with them. In an instant, before I could realize what a mistake I had made, my consciousness faded out into oblivion.  
  
***  
  
When I awoke, I was flat on my stomach on hard, dusty ground. As I breathed, the gray dust billowed up around me and clogged my throat. I stood up, coughing and retching, trying to dislodge the choking dust. After my throat cleared, I looked around to gain my orientation. I was standing in a flat plain of gray landscape, stretching off into the horizon. Above me, the sky was dark and black, and speckled with the most dazzling array of stars I have ever seen. The only light there was came from the stars. Other than that, it was pitch black. My pupils ached as they tried to glean as much light from the environment as the could to fuel my sight. Eventually, my eyes adjusted to the darkness. I could just barely make out a large group of footprints arrayed around me, then heading off towards the horizon behind me, towards a large mountain range. The Scouts had left me here, probably thinking I wouldn't wake up for quite some time. They were wrong. I had come here determined to keep Amy and the Scouts out of danger, and I wasn't about to be deterred so easily. I set off after them, following the dim footprints in the dust at my feet.  
  
It was quite a while before I came to the mountains where they had set off for. Embedded in the side of a rather large mountain was the entrance to a tunnel, from within which light was erupting. I entered the tunnel warily, my eyes darting from ahead to behind me. The footprints continued down the hallway for quite some time, and I soon discovered that the light was coming from torches lit along the walls of the tunnel. I was about to round a sharp bend in the tunnel, when a bolt of energy flew past me, narrowly missing my head, and impacting into the wall far behind me. I dodged behind the bend in the tunnel and cautiously poked my head around it to see what was on the other side.  
  
The Scouts were locked in fierce combat with a man similarly dressed to Malachite, except his coat was buttoned up the whole way, and he wore no cape. His hair was short and blond, and his skin was actually human in color. He had already lost the battle, it seemed, for he was crouched on one knee, clutching his chest, with an expression of agony on his face.  
  
"I thought I could win this time," he said, his voice rasping and sickly. "I should have known better."  
  
"I can't allow you to stay alive, Jadeite," Serena told him. Twirling her crescent-shaped wand over her head, she delivered the coup de grace. Jadeite was struck with bolts of white energy from the wand and gave a gut-wrenching scream. He then vanished in a flash of blinding light.  
  
"It seems all of Queen Beryl's generals were revived, too," Amy said. She was leaning up against a wall of the tunnel, slightly winded. Apparently, Jadeite was not very powerful compared to all of the Sailor Scouts.  
  
"I guess we'll run into all of them as we get closer to the Black Crystal," Lita said, dusting off her green-accented sailor suit.  
  
"We should keep moving," Raye said. "The closer we get to the Black Crystal, the closer we are to saving Darien."  
  
"Right," Serena said. "Let's go." They all started off down the tunnel, away from me. When they rounded another bend a long way down the tunnel, I started from behind my corner and began to follow them. I had to make sure they made it to the Black Crystal safely, and if they didn't, I'd have to...what? What could I do? Call for help? That was laughable. Wherever I was, there wasn't a shred of life, besides the Scouts, the Negaverse, and me. Could I fight the Negaverse single-handed? That was even more ridiculous. So here I was, trapped in a tunnel in a barren wasteland miles and miles from home, perhaps even millions of miles, with nothing to do but watch and hide. I, once again, was helpless and useless to the Scouts.  
  
When I neared the corner, I peeked around to see how far ahead of me the Scouts were. They were about twenty feet ahead, walking at a steady pace down the seemingly endless tunnel. Suddenly, they stopped short as a strange, black doorway in the side of the tunnel opened up behind them. Out of it walked another man, this one sporting long brown hair, and dressed in the same uniform as Jadeite. He turned to face the Scouts, the doorway closing up behind him.  
  
"Well, it has been a long time, Sailor Scouts," the man said to them.  
  
"Nephrite!" Lita cried.  
  
"Correct, Jupiter," Nephrite confirmed. "It is good to have another opportunity to defeat you. This time, I shall win!"  
  
"Not a chance!" Amy shouted, striking a defensive stance. Nephrite didn't answer her. Instead, he leaped up towards the ceiling and flew at the Sailor Scouts, spraying waves of black energy ahead of him as he charged. The Scouts were knocked off their feet by the onslaught, but quickly recovered as Nephrite touched down on the opposite side from which he came. Amy flung her blue balls of energy at him as I had seen her do atop the parking garage against Galaxia. Nephrite dodged them with ease, and kicked Lita savagely as she leaped up at him to attack. Lita crashed to the floor, but she ignored the pain and spun out of the way of Nephrite's oncoming attack. Mina threw her yellow beams of energy. They struck Nephrite in the back. He turned to face her, when Raye threw fire at him. Seeing this, he dodged again and attacked Serena. She got hit and fell on her back. Nephrite grasped her by the throat and raised her up off the ground. Serena kicked and clutched at Nephrite's hand, gasping for breath. Amy threw her energy just in time and Nephrite's grip loosened. Mina followed with more beams of yellow energy. Nephrite stumbled and fell to his knees. Lita ensued with bolts of lightning. Nephrite fell forward and lay still. Raye delivered her gouts of flame and Nephrite exploded into a burst of light. When my eyes readjusted to the tunnel's dim light, he was gone.  
  
Serena slowly got to her feet. After making sure she was okay, the Scouts continued on their way. I waited until they rounded the next bend and started to follow them again. My confidence had risen significantly. Apparently, Serena had been right. They could beat the Negaverse again. I came to the next corner, and glanced around the edge. The Scouts had already rounded the corner at the far end of the tunnel. I ran to catch up, trying not to make too much noise on the dusty floor of the tunnel. I nearly tripped once or twice. When I came to the next bend and peered around it, I could see the end of the tunnel. Maybe Nephrite was the last general the Black Crystal could throw at the Scouts. They were halfway to the end of the tunnel already. Very soon, I could apologize to Amy for coming along and she could help destroy the Black Crystal. Then we could all go back home.  
  
I thought too soon. Malachite and a woman suddenly appeared in front of the Scouts. The woman had long, peach-colored hair bunched into a low-hanging ponytail and green eyes. She also wore a uniform similar to Nephrite's and Jadeite's. Malachite and the woman stood with their backs to each other, their side to the Sailor Scouts, looking at them.  
  
"Zoisite! Malachite!" Serena spat.  
  
"Long time no see," the woman, whom I deduced to be Zoisite, said. Her voice was medium-pitched and lilting. "Let's finish what we started so long ago, eh? Zoi!!" With that strange cry, she extended her hand to point at the Scouts. Swirls of red energy erupted from her open palm and surrounded the Scouts. They all cried out in pain and fell to their knees. Malachite followed up by throwing lances of crystal in their direction. The lances scratched and scarred the Scouts and they cried out again. Amy and Mina fell on their hands and knees. My confidence shattered in an instant. Zoisite, an evil laugh on her lips, strode over to Serena and knelt down.  
  
"What's the matter, Sailor Moon?" she asked tauntingly. "Not as powerful as you thought? Well, you're right!" A crystal lancet appeared in Zoisite's hand and she raised it up over her head, clutching it in both hands, the sharp point gleaming in the torchlight. For a moment, it seemed to hesitate there, then came down with a quick stroke and stabbed Serena in the back of the neck. Serena cried out and fell on her face in the dust. I suppressed the urge to scream, then noticed that the crystal lancet vanished as abruptly as Zoisite had made it. Serena, bleeding from the neck, rose up on her hands and knees, struggling to support herself. Zoisite was unfazed by the recovery. "So maybe you do have more health than you did the last time we met," she said. "But it won't last you much longer!" Zoisite stood and grasped Serena's collar as she did so. She lifted Serena up to look at her in the eyes, her nose just inches from Serena's. "Time to die, Sailor Moon!" she cried. I couldn't contain myself anymore.  
  
"NO!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Zoisite looked in my direction. That was just enough hesitation for Raye and Lita to assault her. Zoisite dropped Serena and flew up to the ceiling, hovering in mid-air. While the Scouts continued their assault, Amy crawled over to Serena and saw to her wound.  
  
"Malachite! Take care of that one who interfered!" Zoisite snarled. Malachite nodded and vanished in an instant. I stood for a moment, wondering what I should do. I decided to run back the way I came and catch up with the Scouts later. I turned - and slammed straight into Malachite's chest. I fell back in the dust.  
  
"How pathetic," Malachite sneered at me. "That the likes of you would dare to interfere!" A lancet of crystal appeared in each of his hands, and he flung them at me. I couldn't dodge quickly enough, but luckily the lancets stuck in the ground on either side of my head. Malachite quickly formed two new ones and went to aim them at me, but then Zoisite's death howl erupted from around the corner. Malachite turned for the source of the noise, and that gave me enough time to roll away and hide in he shadows. Malachite ignored me and threw his lancets at the Sailor Scouts instead. Serena, who had somewhat recovered from Zoisite's stab, raised her wand to point at the oncoming lancets. A dome of energy surrounded the wand and the lancets stuck in it. Serena then wound up and flung the lancets back at Malachite. Malachite, horrorstruck, raised a fold of his cape to block them, but they tore through the fabric and struck home deep in his chest. He crumpled to the ground, gasped "Defeated...and in the same manner..." then exploded into a flash of light.  
  
I, somewhat dazed from my near brush with death, stayed in the shadows behind the bend in the tunnel until the Scouts had recovered enough to start off for the end of the tunnel again. I guess they didn't even realize it was me that gave them the opportunity to kill Zoisite, but that was so much the better. I didn't want Amy to know I was here. It would distract her from her purpose and give the enemy an easier target. I waited until the Scouts had entered the tunnel to follow them. When I neared the exit of the tunnel, I took in the room beyond all at once.  
  
The room was larger than any warehouse or sports field dome I had ever seen. It was gigantic and shaped like a huge rounded rectangle, with shiny dark brown walls and a shiny black floor. The center of the room was dominated by a huge mass of black calcite. I knew instantly that it was the Black Crystal. The Scouts' journey was at its end. I caught sight of them, standing before the crystal, all of them looking tired and bruised. Serena was being supported by Raye and Mina, her head drooping, the wound on her neck still bleeding, but not as much as before. Amy was studying the crystal and typing on her little computer, obviously trying to find a way to destroy it. Lita was down on one knee, panting heavily and darting glances around for signs of an oncoming attack.  
  
What were they waiting for? Why were they just sitting there, waiting? Maybe they didn't know how to destroy the Black Crystal! The thought petrified me. They'd come all this way, and now they couldn't fulfill their task. My hope once again shattered into fragments.  
  
Amy rejoined the group and began to speak to them. She was pretty far away, but the acoustics of the massive room they stood in carried her words to me over the vast distance via echoes.  
  
"Apparently, the only way we can destroy this is if we combine all of our powers as Sailor Scouts into the Imperial Silver Crystal and join it with the Black Crystal," Amy said.  
  
"But that would use up all our energy!" Lita protested.  
  
"In the condition we're in, we couldn't afford the energy loss," Raye told them all.  
  
"It's the only way," Amy stated.  
  
"We'll do it," came a voice. When I didn't see any of the other Scouts' mouths moving, I realized that Serena was the one who was talking. "We can survive. We're strong. If it doesn't work, then I hope I'll see you all in a better place." She produced the crescent-shaped wand from inside her suit.  
  
Amy's mouth frowned in resignation. "Good luck, everyone," she said. She placed her hand on the handle of the wand.  
  
Lita stood up and looked at them all. "Happiness at least, girls," said she, placing her hand on the wand.  
  
Mina took her free arm and placed its hand on the wand. "I hope we pull through," she said determinedly.  
  
"We can do it," Raye added, placing her hand on the wand. The Scouts all shut their eyes. I waited in anxiety to see what would happen next.  
  
Before anything did happen, a huge gust of wind rushed through the room, blowing the Scouts off their weakened legs and sending them sprawling on the floor. The Crescent Moon Wand fell to the floor and skittered away from them towards where I was hiding. Appalled at this sudden change in the environment, I looked around for the source of the wind. I found it in no time. Standing in a dark corner of the room was a figure in a huge, billowing cape. I couldn't make out the face. Was it another general?  
  
The figure stepped out from the shadows and stood facing the prone Sailor Scouts. I could hardly believe my eyes. It was Darien! He was garbed in medieval-style clothing, with the cape hanging from his shoulders and a huge broadsword in a sheath tied at his waist. He wore no helmet, and the only armor on his body was his knee-high boots and two broad shoulder-plates on his shoulders.  
  
Why would Darien attack the Sailor Scouts? What had they done? Why was Darien dressed like he was? Had the Negaverse brainwashed him while they held him captive? Was he a minion of the Negaverse now? All these questions were answered when Serena, weak and prone on the ground, spoke to him.  
  
"Darien..." she rasped. "Why?"  
  
"That's Prince Darien to you, Sailor trash," Darien spat. "Queen Beryl needs her prince by her side in the new empire she will form."  
  
"Where is Queen Beryl?" Lita asked, trying to get to her feet.  
  
"She's growing inside the Black Crystal as we speak," Darien said. "Very soon she will emerge and retake the empire that is rightfully hers. But first, she needs the Imperial Silver Crystal. Only with that crystal's energy can she complete her formation. She needs that energy. And now that you cannot resist me, I will take that crystal." He began to stride over to the Crescent Moon Wand, which lay about ten feet from my hiding place. As he passed by Serena, she tried to reach out and grasp his foot to stop him, but he kicked her savagely in the head. Serena lay still.  
  
When that happened, something inside me burned like a bonfire. Here was Serena's lover, brainwashed and transformed by the Negaverse, with not a shred of good left in him, savagely injuring the very girl he once loved. I couldn't take it anymore. I rushed out from my hiding place at the exit of the tunnel and ran for the Crescent Wand. Before Darien could react, I had snatched it up and was running for cover behind the Black Crystal. Darien had seen me, and before I could dash behind the Crystal he sent a hurricane-force gust in my direction. My feet blew out from underneath me and I went skidding along the floor on my rear towards the far wall. No matter what, I clung to the Wand for dear life. It was the Scouts' only hope. I slammed into the wall at about five miles an hour and cried out from the pain which ran through my face and chest. This wasn't right. I was not a hero. I was acting only out of emotion.  
  
The wind subsided. Darien's voice sounded from behind me as I slid to the floor. "Give me that wand, Masashi!"  
  
"No," I said.  
  
"Give it to me!!" Darien cried angrily.  
  
"No!" I screamed back. I turned to face him, rising to my feet, trying my best to look fearless, but inside, my heart pounded at about three hundred beats per minute. My knees were weak from fear. Still, I clutched the Crescent Moon Wand in both hands, keeping it close to me.  
  
Darien flung me against the wall with more gusts of wind, but still I didn't lose my grip on the Wand, and still I didn't give it to him. He raged and screamed at me to give it up, but I never did. He flung me again, this time into the Black Crystal. As I flew for it, the Crystal, seemingly having a mind of its own, developed a sharp protuberance at the exact location where I would impact. I tried madly to avoid it, but I had only a few seconds left before impact. I flailed my limbs in vain. Finally, the impact came, but just before impact I bent my head out of the way. The spike scarred the back of my neck, instead of piercing straight through it.  
  
"Masashi!" Amy cried from where she lay on the floor. She must have thought the spike had run me through. Darien ceased his wind, and darted a glance at Amy. She met his glance with as determined a stare as she could, but she was so drained that she could hardly resist as Darien drew his sword, lifted her by her collar, and held the blade to her throat.  
  
"Give me the crystal now," Darien said, triumph tingeing his voice. "Or I'll kill Sailor Mercury."  
  
He had found my weakness. As I stumbled away from the Black Crystal, afraid that it would grow another spike that would kill me for sure, I stared at Amy as he held her around the waist with one arm and held the sword to her throat with the other. If he killed her, I would give up the crystal, and then we all would die. If I gave up the crystal, he would let her live, but then we'd all die when the Negaverse released Queen Beryl. I was cornered. My mind searched feverishly for a way out. Amy's watery, blue eyes stared at me in despair as I looked at her. She seemed to tell me "Don't do it" with her eyes. But I had to, or she would die. Then we'd all be dead. The remaining conscious Sailor Scouts had their eyes fixed on me. I had to decide.  
  
"Well, Masashi?" Darien snarled. "Decide! The crystal, or Sailor Mercury's life?!" I still couldn't respond. My mind had snatched onto an idea and was desperately trying to refine it. As I watched, Darien lowered his sword from Amy's throat, and instead aimed the point at her arm. He slowly began to push the point into her soft, yielding skin. Amy began to whimper in pain. I struggled to speak, but the words wouldn't come, even now that I had thought of them. It was like one of those nightmares when you are dying and want to cry for help but can't. Slowly, blood began to trickle from the point where Darien's blade met Amy's skin. Amy began to cry out in pain. I could bear it no longer.  
  
"WAIT!!" I cried out. "STOP!!"  
  
Darien stopped pushing the blade in. "Do you surrender the Crystal?" he asked anxiously.  
  
"Only if you fight me fairly," I said, my mind acting independently from my mouth now.  
  
"What?" Darien asked, almost laughing. Amy looked up at me, disbelief in her tear-saturated eyes.  
  
"The Crystal appears to be quite a prize," I continued. "But you haven't won it fairly. The other generals fought the Sailor Scouts only because of personal vendettas, it seemed. Only you asked for the Crystal, but you haven't fought for it. It's only fair that you should, with me. The Scouts are too drained of energy to be up to the task." I finished the last sentence without realizing what I had said. It had just come out, without me thinking of it.  
  
"Very well," Darien said, roughly shoving Amy to the floor. She covered her fresh wound with her other hand, the look of disbelief still on her face. Darien calmly walked over to the Black Crystal and seemed to pull a crystal sword from its surface. He slid it over to me on the floor. "Make your move, although I don't see how you think a mere human like you can defeat a minion of the Negaverse."  
  
When the meaning of my own words finally sank in, fear turned my blood to ice. I shakily grasped the ribbed handle of the crystal sword with both hands and jammed the Crescent Moon Wand into my pocket. The crystal of the sword gleamed in the light of the room. Amy's eyes burned into my soul, pleading with me to not do what I was about to do. With an effort, I ignored them. I brought the sword up to aim upwards and slightly forward. Darien brought his sword up in the same manner, an evil grin playing on his face. Then he advanced in jerks, slashing at me with the point of his broadsword. I jumped back, keeping my sword pointing up. He backed me up against a wall and slashed again. I moved to block it with my sword, not knowing the first thing about sword fighting, and got it knocked from my hands with the strength of the blow. I ducked to grab it, and as I did, Darien's point drove into the wall where my head had been. I grabbed the sword again, rolled on the ground to avoid Darien's slashes, and brought it up to block as I tried to regain my footing. His sword crashed down on mine as he made a long, chopping swipe downward at me. I managed to keep his sharp blade away from me as I struggled to my feet, but his strength greatly outmatched my own. I slowly began to crumple under his might. Then he made a mighty shove and I fell onto my back. He brought his sword bearing down on me, the point driving straight for my heart. I swiped with my sword just in time and his jab glanced away, driving the point into the floor beside my head. I rolled and stood, my breaths becoming more and more labored, the sweat rolling down the sides of my head.  
  
Darien, enraged, yanked the sword from the floor and charged me, the sword slashing and swiping the air as he came. I jumped away, but he merely altered course and struck home with a slash to my left shoulder. I cried out in agony as the fresh, deep gash in my flesh began to spew blood. My left arm became weak and I could no longer grip the sword with it. I fell to my knees, my right arm trying to hold up the sword as Darien continued to slash and swipe. An overwhelming blow to my sword sent me spinning around and down to the floor. I landed on all fours, my right side to Darien, my sword miraculously in my hand still, my back a huge, vulnerable target to Darien. Darien grasped his sword in both hands and raised it high above his head, preparing to deliver the swift downward stroke that would slice me cleanly in two, spilling my contents onto the polished black floor.  
  
But he didn't realize that he, too, was a vulnerable target. As he lunged forward, I jabbed the point of my sword upward with my functional hand. The momentum of his lunge sent the point sliding cleanly into his stomach, just below the ribcage. As I watched in slow motion, his eyes slowly opened wide, his mouth turned from a closed grin to a wide open cry, and his hands lost their grip on his broadsword. His arms continued to swing forward from the momentum of the lunge, and his legs gave way beneath his body. He fell to his knees, and his sword clattered on the floor to my left. He brought his hands up to the blade of the crystal sword embedded in his abdomen, then fell backwards and lay still on the floor.  
  
My whole body shook with the rapid intakes of breath I made. Sweat rolled down my back and face in rivulets. Blood stained and soaked through my shirt at my wounded shoulder. I stared numbly at the prone, motionless form before me on the floor. Oh my God...what had I done?  
  
Mina had been trying to wake Serena up during the duel, and now Serena slowly came to. As she sat up and took in her surroundings, a nasty bruise forming on her forehead and distorting her pale skin, she caught sight of Darien's body on the floor.  
  
"DARIEN!!" she cried in anguish. She dragged herself over to the impaled being, the tears coming in droves, her sobs loud and endless. She pulled the sword from Darien's gut and tossed it away, then collapsed onto his chest, sobbing without abandon. She would never be able to live with herself again, and it was my fault. I had killed Darien. I never thought I'd ever be able to kill anybody. I was too much of a gentle person, especially after I met Amy. Amy...oh God, what would she think of me? I wanted to look at her, to see her face again and know she was safe, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was afraid she would shun me and hate me. They all would hate me. I had done the worst thing anyone could ever do to their lives. I could think of nothing to do but run away. I slowly stood and drew the Crescent Moon Wand from my pocket.  
  
"I'm sorry, Serena," I whispered. "I'm so very sorry..." I dropped the Wand on the floor and turned away, walking towards the tunnel exit, dragging my feet as I did so. As I neared the end of the tunnel, I heard running footsteps approaching from behind me. I didn't turn to face their source. Amy called after me.  
  
"Masashi..." she called. "Wait!" I didn't stop walking. "Don't run away, Masashi!" I continued to walk, and even began to pick up my pace a little. "Please! Masashi! Don't leave me!" Amy was becoming desperate. I stopped dead in my tracks, and tears began to roll down my cheeks. Amy slowed to a stop behind me and gently turned me to face her. I stared blankly at her, the tears clouding my vision. She was gazing into my eyes with hers, which were moist and slightly shivering as she looked at me. I averted my eyes, but she didn't care. She embraced me tightly, grasping my back. I raised my arms to her shoulders and pushed her away. She looked back at me, hurt and puzzled.  
  
"I've betrayed you all," I said, my voice choked. "I have to go far away, to somewhere where I will never touch your lives again. You must never see me again. I'm a murderer."  
  
"Masashi..." Amy said, her voice beginning to tremble. "Please don't go..."  
  
"I must," I said. "I don't deserve to be with you anymore."  
  
"Please..." Amy pleaded, her voice now a whisper. "Please...no..."  
  
"Goodbye, Sailor Mercury," I said evenly. "Please remember that I've always loved you..." I turned away and began to walk down the tunnel. Amy broke into quiet sobs as I continued on my way, not looking back. When I turned the first bend, I caught a glimpse of her standing at the end of the tunnel, her face buried in her hands, her body half bent over as she cried. She was crying for me, the murderer of Darien. I then continued past the bend in the wall, and the image of Amy was wiped from my sight. I thought about the Sailor Scouts. I wondered what they would do about the Black Crystal, with Queen Beryl gestating inside. Would they still be able to destroy it? I assured myself that they would. They would destroy the Crystal and return home, leaving me in this barren wasteland to die, as they rightfully should. I turned back to look forward, and followed the tunnel away into the night.  
  
***  
  
As I continued to walk down the tunnel, my mind numb, my wounded shoulder scabbing over, I thought I could hear the Sailor Scouts speaking behind me. It was mostly unintelligible, but I did pick out a few phrases:  
  
"His heart is still beating..."  
  
"Quick! The scepter..."  
  
"Hurry, Sailor Moon!"  
  
"Moon Healing Activation!!"  
  
This last exclamation of Serena's was followed by a brief pause, then by a chorus of joyful tones. In disbelief, I madly turned and ran back down the tunnel towards the Black Crystal room. As I peered around the corner, I saw the Scouts grouped around Darien's prone form, which was suddenly garbed in the clothes he was wearing when Malachite abducted him. As I watched, astonished, he raised himself up on one elbow, and slowly looked around. The wound in his abdomen had healed up completely. There wasn't even a hole in his shirt where I had pierced it. Before I knew it, he was standing up and kissing Serena for all she could take. The other Scouts looked on, their faces lit up with their smiles. Amy suddenly looked shocked.  
  
"Oh, no!" she cried. "Masashi!!"  
  
I stepped out from behind the edge of the tunnel and ran at Amy, crying "Don't worry! I'm here!" as I went. We met a little way away from the rest of the Scouts, crashing into each other's arms and joining our lips in an inseparable embrace. Pure emotion coursed through my veins and I thought I saw our souls dancing in my head as we stood there, inseparable for quite some time.  
  
When our lips disengaged, Amy smiled with pure happiness at me, then turned for the rest of the Sailor Scouts.  
  
"Come on, Sailor Scouts, let's waste this Black Crystal and restore good to the universe!" she cried.  
  
"Yeah!" the Scouts chorused in unison. They waited for Serena to disengage from Darien's arms, then formed the circle as they had before, and all placed their hands on the handle of the Crescent Moon Wand. Darien stepped over beside me to watch.  
  
"You might want to shield your eyes," he told me. I didn't get what he meant, but when a light brighter than the sun a hundred times over suddenly sprang from the circle of girls, I threw both arms before my eyes and shut my eyes tightly. With a deafening blast, the floor shook and trembled stronger than Japan's last earthquake, nearly throwing me off balance. Milliseconds later, I heard the Black Crystal shatter, coupled with a sickening, yet strangely female, cry. Shortly thereafter, a mighty shock-wave threw me hard against the floor. My head smacked painfully on the smooth surface and all went black.  
  
***  
  
When I awoke, the first things I saw were Amy's eyes. She was gazing at me as if she could will me to awaken. I was in my own bed at home. How I had gotten there was hard to discern, but I didn't care.  
  
"What happened?" I asked.  
  
"We wasted the Black Crystal," Amy replied, her melodious voice caressing my very soul. "Darien was still alive, so Serena still had a chance to use the Crescent Moon Wand and heal him. He returned back to being normal Darien. I bet if we had waited a second longer, you really would be a murderer. That was why Serena couldn't use the Wand to revive me when I died. I was already dead when they finished with Galaxia."  
  
"What about the Negaverse? Queen Beryl?" I asked.  
  
"Gone, and the Queen with it," Amy replied. "We won't have to deal with her and her power anymore. I'm glad you came along, Masashi. I have to admit, if it hadn't been for you, we wouldn't have won."  
  
I could scarcely believe it myself. I, Masashi Itsurashii, an ordinary teenage high school boy, had actually helped these protectors of the universe defeat the forces of evil. It was a pretty heady experience. I just smiled in response to Amy's praise, hoping that very soon life would return to normal.  
  
I knew it never would. Amy was a Sailor Scout, a defender of the universe, and, as the universe never seemed to run out of evil, she would always be fighting it, striving to set right what others made wrong. All I could do was be there for her, and love her to my dying day.  
  
I had a hefty job ahead of me.  
  
The End  
  
---  
  
That's it! The series is over! I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it. Please be sure to read the first three stories, if you haven't already. This may have nothing to do with the actual series, but I write what I think! This series is based completely off the USA series. The copyright for "Sailor Moon" is held by Naoko Takeuchi, TOEI, DiC, Kodansha, Bandai, and others. I have no relationship with any of the "Sailor Moon" copyright holders and do not claim ownership of their materials or "Sailor Moon"'s image/likeness. Please do not sue me. Thanks for reading. -- Alund 


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